Chapter 491: An Amorous History
"No wonder Phoenix Golding is so good to her son but so harsh with her daughter. It turns out the one she loves is Storm Xavier. But why would she go around hooking up with other men?" someone wondered aloud, unable to make sense of it.
She was willing to take such a huge risk to have his son, so it must be true love between Phoenix Golding and Storm Xavier. But if they were so in love, why couldn’t the woman stay faithful? On one hand, she was seducing Felix Thorne, and on the other, she was sleeping with her boss. In between all that, she still had to find time to "comfort" Vernon Spann and Storm Xavier. That woman was busier than the president!
Another person sneered and spat in contempt. "A slut like her gets antsy if she doesn’t hook up with a man for even a day. Vernon Spann and Storm Xavier are both half-dead. How could they possibly satisfy her? Of course she had to find other men."
"Isn’t that the truth. That slut must have other lovers, too. You really can’t tell, can you? She acts all prim and proper, but she’s actually a whore. Pah!"
Everyone cursed Phoenix Golding with righteous indignation. The harshest critics were all women, with the voices of Phoebe Huxley and her daughter-in-law being the loudest. They even slapped their thighs as they cursed, providing their own sound effects.
From a nearby pond, the croaking of frogs and the chirping of cicadas could be heard. These sounds intertwined with the curses, creating a rustic, countryside symphony. It had been a long time since Millstone Peak was this lively. Usually, the village would be silent at this hour, with nearly everyone asleep.
Phoenix Golding struggled to ride her bike back. While still a good distance away, she heard the commotion at the village entrance and stopped, frightened. After listening closely for a few moments, she gritted her teeth in hatred. She desperately wanted to rush over and fight Phoebe Huxley and her daughter-in-law to the death. She had only gotten a bit of ’meat’ from Felix Thorne, yet the Thorne family was latched onto her like a pack of mad dogs, refusing to let go and leaving her in this wretched state.
’Just you wait. I won’t let this family get away with this!’
Having calmed down, Phoenix Golding regained her composure. She gritted her teeth against the sharp pain and mosquito bites, dragged her bicycle, and crept behind a haystack to wait for the crowd to disperse before heading home.
But the venom-laced curses, carried on the evening breeze, found their way into her ears one after another. She couldn’t block them out even if she wanted to. The secret she had so carefully hidden for years was utterly destroyed today.
It was true—Ulysses Spann was her son with Storm Xavier. Just two years after marrying Vernon Spann, she had grown to despise the worthless man. He couldn’t earn work points, and he was useless in bed. The only thing he had going for him was his mouth. But the sweet nothings she had loved to hear as a young woman just sounded greasy and nauseating once she was trapped by the drudgery of daily life. No matter how pleasant his words were, they weren’t nearly as practical as a slab of meat on the table.
After giving birth to Jacqueline Spann, Phoenix Golding stopped sleeping with Vernon Spann. She took lovers on the side. At that time, it wasn’t Storm Xavier; it was the educated youth who had stayed behind in the village. And it wasn’t just one—it was three of them.
Those three bachelors were around the same age as Vernon Spann, right in their prime with fierce appetites. Lonely and restless at night, they willingly took the bait when Phoenix Golding actively seduced them. They didn’t even care that they knew about each other. After all, Phoenix Golding was just a plaything for them to relieve their loneliness in the village, not even considered a proper girlfriend.
The men got their satisfaction from Phoenix Golding, and she, in turn, got benefits from them: grain ration coupons, cash, and food supplies. During the most difficult years, it was thanks to these three educated youth that she didn’t have to go hungry.
But the good times didn’t last. Her three lovers returned to the city one after another, and Phoenix Golding’s source of income was cut off. She then hooked up with a teacher from Xavier Village, which was also when she met Storm Xavier. She was instantly captivated by him.